Asparagus With Basil Pesto Food

ASPARAGUS NOODLES WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus into thin wide ribbons. (The last strip of asparagus will be a little thicker than the others but it¿s fine to use.)
• Pulse the basil, parsley, pine nuts, capers, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a food processor until coarsely ground. With the machine running, drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil and process until the pesto is mostly smooth.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus noodles, red pepper flakes and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the asparagus is tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the arugula and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; add the pesto and 1 tablespoon water and toss to coat. Stir in the lemon zest and season with salt. Top with more zest.

ASPARAGUS WITH FRESH BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix the first 6 ingredients until blended; refrigerate until serving., In a Dutch oven, bring water to a boil. Add asparagus in batches; cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry. Serve with sauce.

ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Cut the cooked asparagus spears into thirds. Put in a food processor with the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Keep in mind you will add Parmesan as well, so be careful not to oversalt. With the machine running, slowly add the cup of olive oil. When the sauce is about the consistency of mayonnaise, it has enough oil. Pulse in the Parmesan. Thin with water, if necessary, to achieve a slick, saucy pesto. Scrape into a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate until needed. You should have about 3 cups. (Keeps about 2 to 3 days, refrigerated.)
• (c) 2006 NapaStyle Inc. All rights reserved

ASPARAGUS WITH BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Fill medium sized pot with water, add a generous amount of salt (as if you were salting the water for pasta) and bring to a boil.
• Be sure asparagus is clean, then break off the end of one piece to see where the woody stalk starts.
• Trim the other asparagus pieces to that size, then cut asparagus on the diagonal into pieces about 2 inches long.
• When the water comes to a boil, add the asparagus and cook 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Don't overcook, use a timer!
• When asparagus is lightly cooked but still fairly crisp, drain it into a colander placed in the sink.
• When the water has drained, put the hot asparagus into a bowl; add the pesto, and let it melt for a minute or two.
• Then toss the asparagus with the pesto and serve immediately.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mix pesto with garlic and oil and toss with asparagus on a baking sheet.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Roast in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until done to your.
• liking.
• Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve hot.

ASPARAGUS PESTO WITH TINY POTATOES AND PASTA

Steps:

• Pesto:
• Cut the cooked asparagus spears into thirds. Put in a food processor with the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Keep in mind you will add Parmesan as well, so be careful not to oversalt. With the machine running, slowly add the cup of olive oil. When the sauce is about the consistency of mayonnaise, it has enough oil. Pulse in the Parmesan. Thin with water if necessary to achieve a slick, saucy pesto. Scrape into a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate until needed. You should have about 3 cups. (Keeps about 2 to 3 days, refrigerated.)
• Put the potatoes in a pan of salted cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool for a few minutes. If the potatoes are larger than about 1/2 inch in diameter, cut in half.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the potatoes and cook until browned and crispy all over, about 5 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Keep warm. Add basil, toss with potatoes and set aside.
• While the potatoes are browning, return the water used for cooking the asparagus, if reserved, to a boil or brint a new pot of water to a boil. Add more salt and the pasta and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain through a colander, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl, add the potatoes, about 1 cup of the asparagus pesto, several twists of pepper, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Toss well, thinning with the pasta cooking water as necessary.
• Dust with a light grating of Parmesan (a microplane grater works well for this) before serving and pass the remaining cheese and a bowl of pesto at the table.

ASPARAGUS AND PISTACHIO PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Trim the tough ends from the asparagus. Store half of the spears upright in a glass filled halfway with water to keep it fresh for a few days or until ready to serve. Chop the remaining asparagus and place it in a food processor. Add the mint, parsley, tarragon, cheese, pistachios, garlic and lime juice. Add the EVOO, pouring to a count of 6 (1/3 to 1/2 cup). Season with salt and pepper. Pulse until the pesto comes together. Place in a small container and store in the refrigerator if not using immediately.
• To serve, bring the pesto to room temperature and place it in a large, shallow serving bowl. Slice the reserved asparagus spears on an angle into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and season with salt. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes, then add the peas and chopped asparagus and cook 2 to 3 more minutes. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water and add it to the serving bowl to thin the pesto. Drain the pasta, peas and asparagus and add to the bowl. Toss 1 to 2 minutes to combine. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the shaved cheese.
• Cook's Note: The pesto can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS AND BASIL

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper; sauté until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add asparagus, tomatoes, stock and 1/4 cup sliced basil. Cook until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Transfer to large bowl.
• Pour sauce over pasta. Add cheese, parsley and 1/4 cup chopped basil. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH BASIL CREAM

Steps:

• In a small saucepan simmer reserved asparagus ends in water, covered, 15 minutes. Remove and discard asparagus ends with slotted spoon and bring water to a boil. Add reserved asparagus tips and cook, uncovered, over high heat until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer asparagus tips with slotted spoon to a colander, reserving cooking liquid, and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain tips well.
• In a 4-quart heavy saucepan cook onions in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring until pale golden. Add asparagus stalk pieces, broth, and reserved cooking liquid and simmer, covered, 15 minutes, or until asparagus pieces are tender.
• Basil cream
• Make basil cream while soup simmers: In a small saucepan bring cream to a boil and stir in basil and salt. Cook mixture over high heat, stirring, until basil is wilted, about 5 to 10 seconds, and in a blender purée mixture. Return basil cream to small saucepan and keep warm.
• Purée soup in cleaned blender in small batches and return to 4-quart saucepan, thinning with water if desired. Season soup with salt and pepper and heat over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
• Divide soup among 6 bowls and add asparagus tips, arranging them decoratively. Drizzle basil cream over each serving.

SALMON PENNE WITH BASIL PESTO CREAM SAUCE, ARTICHOKES, AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the salmon into 1 inch cubes and place in a buttered baking dish. Add the lemon juice to the melted butter and drizzle over the salmon. Season the salmon with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork. Do not let the salmon overcook. Remove immediately from the oven and keep warm.
• While the salmon is cooking, add the pasta to a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Add the asparagus to the boiling water during the last three to five minutes of cooking. Drain and put in a large serving bowl.
• While the salmon and pasta are cooking, combine the butter, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and half-and-half in a saucepan. Season with garlic salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat. Add the pesto at this point. Go light with the pesto to ensure the sauce is lightly flavored.
• Mix the artichoke hearts with the asparagus and penne pasta and pour the sauce over the pasta mixture. Mix lightly to coat everything. Add the salmon cubes to the top of the pasta. If desired, serve with extra parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper.

ASPARAGUS, PEAS, AND BASIL (PISELLI CON ASPARAGI E BASILICO)

Steps:

• Cook shallots in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in asparagus, peas, sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then seal skillet with foil. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender but still slightly al dente, about 8 minutes. Stir in basil and sea salt to taste.

ASPARAGUS WITH BASIL-PARMESAN BUTTER

Steps:

• Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain well.
• Arrange asparagus on broilerproof platter. Preheat broiler.
• Beat butter in medium bowl until fluffy.
• Beat in cheese, basil, garlic and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Drop butter mixture by teaspoonfuls over asparagus.
• Broil asparagus until topping browns, watching closely to avoid burning, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.

FUSILLI IN CREAMY VEGAN ASPARAGUS PESTO

Steps:

• Process 1 garlic clove in a blender until finely chopped. Add ⅓ cup cashews and 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt and blend until cashews are finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup packed basil leaves and half of asparagus (about 4 oz.) and process until a smooth paste forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With processor running, stream in ⅓ cup olive oil and 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice until combined.
• Cook 12 oz. whole wheat fusilli in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute less than package directions. Add remaining asparagus and cook for 1 minute more. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking liquid, then drain pasta and asparagus.
• Return pasta and asparagus to pot and add pesto. Toss, adding pasta cooking liquid ¼ cup at a time, until desired texture is achieved. Top each serving with additional basil leaves.